World Cup will not be successful or profitable if Infantino leaves – Trump warns FIFA

US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA against removing Gianni Infantino, insisting that the organisation’s World Cup could lose both its success and profitability if the FIFA president leaves office.

• Trump backs Gianni Infantino amid FIFA crisis.

• He says the World Cup could lose success and profits without Infantino.

• Infantino faces pressure over the abandoned FFE proposal.

Trump made the comments while publicly defending Infantino, who has come under increasing pressure following controversy surrounding his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative.

“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on social media.

“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again.”

Trump’s intervention comes after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued an open letter accusing Infantino of damaging trust through the handling of the abandoned FFE proposal.

The proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Under the plan, 21% of the company would have been sold to a private investment firm.

The proposal sparked opposition from several football governing bodies and intensified scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership.

Trump’s latest comments represent his strongest public defence of the FIFA president since the FFE plans emerged on July 28.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and featured an expanded 48-team format.

Trump described the tournament as the most successful World Cup ever, arguing that Infantino’s leadership had been central to its commercial and sporting success.

The United States president had previously addressed the FFE controversy on July 31, saying he had not discussed the proposal with Infantino.

The tournament also attracted significant commercial interest, with the expanded format providing FIFA with additional matches and increased opportunities for global audiences and sponsors.

Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump, with the FIFA president presenting him with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025.

The proposed FFE investment group was expected to be led by Thrive Capital, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump’s latest intervention therefore adds another significant political dimension to the growing debate over Infantino’s leadership and FIFA’s future direction.

With football’s major confederations already expressing concerns over the FFE proposal, Trump’s warning places renewed focus on whether Infantino can maintain the support needed to continue leading world football’s governing body.